


Wanderlust

by Readerinsertfanfiction



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22628209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Readerinsertfanfiction/pseuds/Readerinsertfanfiction
Relationships: Yakushi Kabuto/Reader
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

You were done with everything. Just everything. Life, family, friends, work. Everything. Packing your things fervently you had impulsively gotten yourself a van, threw your basic necessities inside and started to drive. Away from whatever it was that had held you down, from all the little stresses in your life, the annoyances, the nuisances. It was honestly a freeing experience. With the engine humming, the landscape changing, and nothing to worry about but your next destination you found yourself lonely.

Though you could finally visit all of the places on your bucket list you found that there was no one to share the experience with. When you were consulting the map to see which direction you had to take you wished that there was a buddy to whom you could talk to, discuss which road to take. Fast road, scenic road? There were so many options, so much time. It turned lonely.

That all changed when you found a young man at the side of the road. With a huge backpack on his back and his thumb in the air he was unmistakably a lifter. One with an unknown destination, but as you had no itinerary it didn’t matter much where he was heading. Another impulsive action was made as you steered over and decided to pick up this stranger.

“Where are you headed?” you asked the gray haired man. He was a handsome lad, maybe a little nerdy with his big round glasses, but the confident smile and decisiveness in his face disputed the shy trope. Accompanied with the huge backpack on his back you just knew that this was a man of adventure. Whatever had happened for him to end up in this place, whatever his story was, you were eager to hear it.

“As far as you will take me,” he responded simply and you shrugged. It was as good an answer as any for you had no destination either. Throwing open your passengers door you let him enter your humble abode, throwing the bag into the back. By the wear and tear of his bag you figured that he had been on the road for a while, making you all the more curious in what his story would be.

“It is a little cramped, but I have an extra room in the back of the van,” you informed the man with a smile. “You can even lock it,” you added. 

Quirking a brow the man gave you an eye as he settled himself down in the passengers seat, arms crossed as if ready to interrogate.

“How nice of you, but wouldn’t you want that privacy for yourself?” 

“What should I call you?” you hummed as you started the engine again, dodging the question. There was a reason why you hadn’t taken the room, but your travel companion didn’t need to know about it for now. He would understand soon enough anyway. 

“Just in case I gotta report you,” you continued with a teasing wink before taking a turn.

Giving you an amused smile the man widened his eyes a little before folding back into a carefully set face. A practiced poker face you could tell. Though still you found no reason to distrust the stranger you had picked up, if only it was by his kind smile.

“Kabuto. Yakushi.”

The pause it took him to dig up the name sounded almost uncertain. As if he wasn’t quite sure who he was himself. Giving him another look you decided that he didn’t look dimwitted enough to explain the slow speech before giving him another grimace.

“Nice, how long did you have to think of that?” you quipped back, but decided to let the case rest. “Call me [Name],” you introduced yourself simply.


	2. Chapter 2

Days had passed since you had picked up Kabuto from the side of the road, days in which you got to know the silverhaired man a little more. He was a reserved man, misliking having to speak of himself too much, however he was an attentive listener, as if he wanted to know as much as possible about you. He was a sensitive man, picking up on moods quickly and adjusting himself to your new and erratic lifestyle. Soon, you found that you would actually pity the time he left you. **  
**

By the fifth morning you were eyeing the man suspiciously, eyes narrowing as he set the coffee to the table, a gentle smile gracing his expression like every morning.

“How is the room?” you tried trying to wash away the piece of dry bread with the coffee. “Can you relax?” you continued. 

Giving you a smile in return Kabuto mulled over his words before setting for a nod. “It is very pleasant, do you want to switch?” he inquired, prodding you to hide a cough, trying not to choke on your breakfast. 

“Ah, no, no, I’m fine. I’m glad to hear that it is pleasant,” you continued while avoiding his eyes. Did Kabuto know? Was this his way of getting back at you? You couldn’t tell that part of his personality yet, though you knew to be suspicious of anyone who lied about his name. 

“Weird, I really thought you were starting to miss the little companion in there,” Kabuto continued casually.

Dropping your mug your eyes widened at him as you flared up from the table, your head hitting the low hanging cabinet hanging above you. Groaning you pointed a finger at him in accusation.

“You knew!?” 

Shrugging nonchalantly the male picked up his toast reaching for the butter at the same time. “I might put Jerry into the stew of the first night,” he confessed, another gentle smile flashing towards your flabbergasted figure. 

Paling up you started to gasp for breath as you tried to stabilise yourself against the small table of your van, disbelief settling in at the cruelty of your travelmate. 

“I’m kidding. You cooked the first night, remember?” Kabuto reached over to you, a reassuring hand over your as he calmed you down. “I released it after the first night. Figured that you didn’t dare to approach it yourself,” the male admitted with a sheepish smile. 

Realising that he was right you sat down again, a glare settling onto your face as you pouted. 

Kabuto was definitely cruel but in a different way than you had expected.


	3. Chapter 3

Neither of you were early risers, preferring the nighttime to go about your business. Setting up fires, chatting, reading. It was a comfortable routine you had fallen into, one that suited either just fine. No rush in the early morning, no need to force the other to spend time together, nothing was an obligation despite the close proximity you shared. It was strange how without communication you had figured each other out. It made you curious. Even curiouser than you had been that day you had picked Kabuto up. 

“So, why did you leave home?” you spoke on dreary afternoon on the road. Tapping your fingers on the wheel you kept your eyes trained to the road. A long straight road with little to no surprises. Though there were plenty of cars passing you by there really wasn’t much to sightseeing for the two of you and car games only got you so far. 

The male pushed up his glasses, letting the silence draw out for a bit before he found an answer. 

“I’m trying to find myself,” he spoke, carefully formulated and without much zeal. There really was no telling whether he was sincere or not, but you had grown used to it with the man. 

“Soul searching, eh?” you hummed, leaving it at that. 

He didn’t ask you for your reasons. 

It was that evening, as you were setting up for the night that you started the topic once more. 

“It is peaceful here,” you started, head rising up towards the littered night sky. “I couldn’t find peace at home. Wherever I went, no matter the time, at home alone, or with others,” you continued with a sigh, hands rising up to your head as you covered your ears and shut your eyes. 

“There was always this constant buzz,” you breathed out. Relaxing your shoulders you opened your eyes once more, your sight still straining to recognise the constellations you were chasing. “It is gone here.”

The last part was only a whisper, followed by a mental note you rather kept a secret. 

Setting down the stew Kabuto joined you on top of your van, his shoulder casually bumping into yours as he settled himself comfortably on the little space provided. It was another routine you had, stargazing on top of your van, sitting closely next to each other as if to share warmth, unexpected deep talk that went on until the depths of the nights. 

“Wasn’t there anyone in your life?” the male questioned, eyes flitting over your face before focusing on the heavens above. 

You kept quiet.

“It is the same for me,” Kabuto continued, his voice breaking the silence and dispersing the void that was created by your refusal to answer. “I was so drowned in life, in surviving, I forgot who I was.” 

His smile was bitter, though there was no self-pity. Only regret and loneliness. 

“Have you found yourself?” you returned the question, eyes meeting his framed ones. At first you weren’t able to read them, deep as they were. Kabuto was a master of concealment. You had known that.

Yet, tonight the male let his guard down. Something was shimmering behind his eyes as he stared at you, looked you into the eyes. A cocky glint passed in them, as if telling you confidently that he had already figured you out while you were only starting to.

“I’ve figured out the person I want to be.” 

His words were anything but, a gentle smile gracing his lips as he held onto the moment for a little while longer. Long enough for you to feel something to stir inside. An emotion you knew had been there for longer and had kept quiet for a while now. 

Hopping off the van Kabuto held out an arm towards you, breaking the silence between the two of you. 

“We should eat before the stew gets cold,” he gently nudges, hand on your leg as he helped you to the ground. 

Your skin was burning at the places where he had touched you and you knew. You knew you were doomed by this mysterious stranger you had let into your life for this short while. 

A new buzzing started within you, tugging at you, nudging you. However, instead from the mind it came from your chest, followed with a sharp pain when a particular thought crept up. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're reaching an end, both in journey as a story though that is just one end.

Your time on the road was fated to end one day. Despite the plans to drive away and drive forever your heart longed for home, longed for the routine you had once known, the stability of friends and family surrounding you. Undeniably you had changed, the experiences you had gained had grown you as a person and shaped you. It would be impossible to return to your life and pretend nothing had happened, but it was the life that was meant for you, not that of a wanderer.

Kabuto seemed to agree, saying much the same one bright morning as you sat together. Unusual as it was for both of you to be up early the two of you were relieved, wanting to spend a little more time together.

“This is the end, huh?” the male spoke, adjusting his glasses as he pulled up his bag.

“Seems like it,” you sighed, leaning against your van. It had only seemed like yesterday that the two of you had started to travel. Yesterday and yet an entirety. By all means, Kabuto and you were still strangers to each other, having avoided talking about your private lives as much as possible. Yet, the two of you felt more intimate than you had connected with anyone in a long while. The close space you had shared, the long drives and the late night chats. They felt meaningful despite the little content they often had held.

“What are your plans?”

Finally crossing that one border that had always existed between the two of you Kabuto shrugged, arms stretching out as he rolled out his muscles.

“I think a trip back home sounds good,” was his answer. His eyes drifted far away, a longing look in them that you had seen more often, when he thought you weren’t looking. “It has been a long while,” he smiled to himself, the longing turning into fondness.

“You?” the male asked, recovering himself. “Going back home as well, I guess?”

Returning the smirk you shrugged before nodding. “I have missed sleeping in a solid bed,” you joked, though you knew that despite returning to your old life it would be a while before you could call it home again.

“I’m sure that wherever you go you will manage,” Kabuto said, his voice genuine for once as he rummaged in his pocket. “Should it ever not work out, feel free to visit me.” Offering you a piece of scrap paper you took it, looking down at the address scribbled out, the ink smudged and dried as if it had been a while.

“I will hold you onto that,” you laughed, knowing that this did not have to be the end. 


End file.
